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San Marcos CISD board votes against temporary pay raise for hourly employees

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

The San Marcos Consolidated ISD Board of Trustees voted against giving a $2 pay raise for hourly employees throughout the district. 

James Barton, SMCISD assistant superintendent for business and support services, said giving the $2 raise would increase payroll by $140,000 per month. Barton added that the cost, however, wasn’t the biggest challenge the district would face in implementing the temporary raise. 

“One of the most serious challenges is we annualize the salaries for our hourly employees so they get a consistent check on months with fewer days such as November and December and also through the summer,” Barton said. “If you imagine, the $2 additional is paying for hours they’ll actually receive pay for later. It doesn’t all work to be in the same month and that’s simply not functional with our system.”

Barton said the district approached its payroll vendor to discuss the pay raise and found that there isn’t a way to add a $2 multiplier.  

Trustee Miguel Arredondo asked Barton how the district was able to pay time and a half for employees who were called in to work in the spring as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take footing in San Marcos. Barton said the district was able to use an overtime function to pay those employees. But Barton added that the system currently used wouldn’t be able to handle the additional $2 pay raise.  

The motion failed 4-2  during Monday's meeting with trustees Anne Halsey and Arredondo voting in approval. A similar motion, which would have given a pay raise of time and half to all paraprofessionals and auxiliary employees, failed during a special-called meeting in August. 

In other business, the board approved to participate in a joint election with Guadalupe County on Nov. 3. SMCISD Board of Trustees Single-Member District 1, which includes Guadalupe County, is up for election during the upcoming November election. The election, which was postponed from May until November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be between incumbent Miguel Arredondo and challenger James Bryant, Jr. Arredondo will also appear on the ballot for City of San Marcos Mayor.

The trustees also approved a resolution regarding extracurricular status of 4-H organization, and approval of adjunct faculty. The board also approved a 2020-2021 Reading Academy Blended Facilitator, which will serve as a part-time position.

The board approved a motion to approve board President Clem Cantu and Halsey to represent the district on the Core Four Task Force.

San Marcos Record

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